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When is a Shrink Label NOT a shrink label?

When it's a CFit Label!! What's a CFit Label, you ask? Well - lucky for you - I'm going to try and explain that to you! It is a no-heat shrink sleeve label that is 100% recyclable!

That's right - NO HEAT and truly 100% recyclable! Typical shrink sleeves (OPS, PETG, PLA and PVC) ARE NOT recyclable. They simply all contain chemicals (the chemical that actually makes them shrink)that contaminates the recycling process. Period.

Let's speak specifically to a bottle made of polyester or what is stamped on the bottom of your bottle as PET or PETE. This is a recycle #1. Not every municipality offers recycling for items that fall under the "#1" heading; however, they may still accept them and then they are sold to PET reclaimers and it is there that the process begins to recycle those containers. But here's the kicker! The nation's largest PET reclaimer, NAPCOR (check out their website: www.napcor.com and click on their position statement for full wrap shrink labels), has positioned itself to no longer accept any PET bottles that are decorated with a shrink label (OPS, PETG, PLA and PVC). Their position paper is very clear and outlines specifically the "most effective long-term solution is to use a label that floats and is compatible with the existing label stream and PET recycling infrastructure, consistent with APR's Design for Recycling Guidelines at http://www.plasticsrecycling.org/technical-resources/apr-design-for-recyclability-guidelines (see page 12 for the label information)." Initially, many of these bottles were being thrown out and sent to landfills. However, as volume as increased, that option is no longer viable. Some are being blended into low-value applications and many are simply being stockpiled until a solution can be brought to the market. This goes against all the infrastructure the PET recycling community has worked so hard to put into place.

So what to do if you are a company whose product is currently in a PET bottle using a shrink sleeve, and might be claiming it is 100% recyclable, and are a company that is invested in sustainable and green solutions? Switch your traditional shrink sleeve to a CFit Sleeve! (You knew I'd come around to that, right?)

The CFit sleeve is made of a proprietary blend of 100% LDPE, which is 100% recyclable and is named as one of the acceptable labels to decorate a PET or any kind of bottle with. A CFit sleeve is highly sustainable!! It is a lower gram weight overall, it uses lower energy costs to apply (no heat), it is a lower energy cost in film to manufacture, and there is no glue. It is easily removable from the container at the reuse level and offers the best choice for PET recovery. There is no ink bleed, which reduces contamination. And there is no glue; which also reduces contamination. And the best news? It is highly cost effective: up to 50% savings over traditional shrink sleeves.

Flexaco has a FREE informational paper on CFit sleeves that outlines all the benefits of a CFit sleeve, as well as illustrations on how the label looks applied to a bottle. Please email me at: [email protected]

I will send out that information piece to you and answer any questions you may have on the CFit label, the application process and get any quotes so that you can compare the CFit label cost to your current shrink sleeve cost. Or you can call me at 630-529-4510. Let Flexaco help you achieve a totally sustainable and green package!